


hide me from the world (i'll make sure they never hurt you)

by LittleMissSketch



Series: you're the only person i have left (and i hope i'm your only stability, too) [2]
Category: Warriors - Erin Hunter
Genre: Angst, Companionable Snark, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Graphic Description, Graphic Description of Wounds, Platonic Cuddling, Platonic Female/Male Relationships, Silverstream Angst, Silverstream is the Mom Friend, Silverstream is the best friend, Starvation, Touch-Starved, Touch-Starved Dark Forest, a nice hug will tame any dark forest cat
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-16
Updated: 2018-12-16
Packaged: 2019-09-20 00:56:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,310
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17012487
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LittleMissSketch/pseuds/LittleMissSketch
Summary: Tigerstar expects to be eternally alone after death. Without Longtail or Darkstripe he's worthless, right?Then he meets Silverstream and everything changes.





	hide me from the world (i'll make sure they never hurt you)

**Author's Note:**

> i wrote it all in one sitting and i love this friendship

Silverstream did not care much for the living cats after her death. She kept a close eye on her kits and mate, but cared for little else.

Once Feathertail had died—and she had saved her _love_ —she made sure to visit her when she returned from the mountains; but she loved to laze around and wander the fields of Starclan.

* * *

 

Every second of her afterlife, she could feel blood dripping from her stomach. Everyone always gave her cobwebs to close up the wounds, and to make sure her guts stayed inside her.

Whenever she woke up every morning _(was it morning? It was always day-time here)_ she felt the cobwebs fall off and her guts try to break free of her body.

It was horrifying to watch, her daughter had once told her.

It didn’t _seem_ so to her, it was only her guts trying to escape? Why would that be disgusting?

* * *

 

After bandaging her stomach once again, she set off to explore. She smiled. She had found a new place to explore. A forest of darkness.

* * *

 

She paced outside of the boundary between the two opposing worlds. One side had lush green grass, and the other dying stems of grass.

Would she be able to return if she crossed the boundary? Probably, but she was still worried.

“Well?” A dark tabby walked out of the forest, he had a scar over his nose. He looked familiar. “Are you going to come or not?”

He had a cut that went from his neck to his tail, his intestines were barely staying inside of him, like her. But, he didn’t have any cobwebs?

“... Who are you,” he didn’t state it as a question, though she easily could’ve said no.

“Silverstream, you?”

“Tigerstar,” he growled out, clenching his jaw. His amber eyes looked like they were on fire.

Oh! Tigerclaw!

“Oh, you’re Tigerclaw, right? I remember you!” She smiled, “you were a great deputy while I was alive.”

Tigerstar looked shocked, had no one said that to him before? He did well from what she had seen!

He looked flabbergasted, ignoring the blood dripping from his underbelly. “You really think so?”

“Of course!”

* * *

 

The next time she visited she brought cobwebs.

She waited all day for him to show up, but he never did.

Silverstream left the cobwebs at the border.

* * *

 

She began visiting everyday.

Cobwebs always accompanied her on her ventures to the forest. And when she came the next day the cobwebs were gone. The tiger-striped tom rarely showed up but when he did, they bonded.

* * *

 

She had been waiting for most of the day for him, though she hadn’t seen him since her first encounter.

“You’re still coming here?” Tigerstar’s voice called, it sounded as if he hadn’t spoken in the days between their last encounter.

“Of course! You’re very good company, Tigerstar.” She walked close to him, “I also wanted to make sure you were using my cobwebs.”

He was still bleeding profusely from his wound.

“Not many would say that, Silverstream.”

“I’m not many people, now am I.” She nudged him with her muzzle, trying to sneakily get a closer look at his wound but failing. “Could you… lay down so I can look at your wound?”

“... why?” He looked… _scared_ of her?

“I want to put cobwebs on it to stop it from bleeding everywhere.”

“Are you even a _medicine cat?”_ He had already began laying on the ground, showing her his belly. The fur around it was coated in blood, though that wasn’t as worrying as the fact that she could see his ribs.

“Have you been eating?” She looked up at him, worried.

“... there’s no food in there,” he looked off into the forest, a dark look in his eyes.

No food? She’d have to fix that fast.

“Does anyone else live in there?” She moved to awkwardly cleaning the fur around his wound. She could taste the copper and her tongue accidentally kept going into the wound. Tigerstar flinched every time it happened, but never complained.

“I don’t know, I haven’t seen anyone yet.” He sounded tired, like it was a sin to not know an answer to a question.

“That’s fine!” Silverstream began layering cobwebs over his wound, as she remembered others had done to her. “I wanted to know how much food I should bring you everyday.”

He flinched, “What?”

“I’m going to bring you fresh-kill to eat everyday, keep up.”

He was flabbergasted, searching for words. “Wh—What, why, _how?”_

“By catching them, mouse-brain.”

* * *

 

And she did catch food for him, and now they met almost everyday now that he knew she would come.

And they had some banter between them, but also some serious conversations.

* * *

 

“You know, before I met you. About… a moon before? I had been constantly looking for my kits, I thought they had died with me.”

“Died with you?” He looked morbidly curious, though they were both cuddling in a pile. Silverstream’s pale fur was covered by Tigerstar’s giant mass of fluffy fur. Someone could suffocate in it!

“Oh! I didn’t tell you how I died, did I?” She paused, eyes looking dull. “I died in childbirth.”

It was quiet for a long moment, _“I’m so sorry, Silverstream.”_

“Hey! It’s not your fault!”

Tigerstar sighed and wrapped further around her, almost completely hiding her from the world. “Alright… you can continue if you wish to.”

She curled up further into his fur, before backing away to talk. “I thought my kits had died with me, so I drew away from everyone and looked for them. _Constantly.”_ She paused, “I found out they were both alive after my daughter died.”

They both stayed quiet, cuddling for comfort.

“My daughter, Feathertail, had died saving a Tribe in the mountains from a mountain lion. My son, Stormfur, is alive; but he fell in love with a Tribe cat and ended up staying there.

“Feathertail often travels between the Mountains’ Starclan and here. I don’t see her often, but I love her so much. And Stormfur is one of my only connections to the living clans; but he’s in the Tribe, where I can’t watch him.”

Tigerstar sounded as if he was in physical pain, _“I’m so sorry, Silverstream.”_

* * *

 

During another one of their cuddle sessions, while both were half-awake, Tigerstar started a conversation about their kids.

“Hey, Silverstream?” He nudged her with his muzzle.

“Mm, yes?”

“Have I ever told you about my kids?” He yawned, stretching his jaw to its max before laying back down.

“I don’t believe so, no.” She looked genuinely curious now.

“Well, I have four. Two she-cats, and two toms.” He looked happy thinking about them. “My two she-cats, there's Tawnypelt who lives in Shadowclan and she’s so independent I love her so much!

Tigerstar was smiling so wide, it was amazing. He must really love his kids. “Then I have Mothwing whose a medicine cat in Riverclan, but she doesn’t believe in Starclan!”

Silverstream’s eyes widened, she didn’t believe in Starclan? Wow, surprising. “Wow! Really?”

“Yes! She’s doing great as a medicine cat, and nobody has noticed she doesn’t believe!” He sounded so joyous, and happy! She closed her eyes while still listening to him go on about his kits.

“And my toms, Hawkfrost and Brambleclaw. Brambleclaw is the deputy of Thunderclan and will most likely be leader whenever Firestar dies!” He laughed as if he hadn’t laughed since he’d died.

“And Hawkfrost! He wants to be a deputy just like his brother; but Leopardstar has Mistyfoot as her current deputy and Mistyfoot would never appoint him as deputy.”

She sleepily snuggled into his, probably endless, fur. “That’s nice, I hope I can meet them once they die.”

Tigerstar smiled, his eyes softening. “I hope so too.”

* * *

 

After awhile Tigerstar met other cats in the forest. First, was Mapleshade.

She had a long gash down her side that lazily bled all day long.

She was rude, but would melt under praise and any friendly touch.

He brought her to bring Silverstream one day, anxious but hopeful.

“So this is the she-cat you’ve been talking about all day? Average at best,” her amber eyes scanned Silverstream.

She hadn’t seen them yet, but would soon.

“Oh! Tigerstar! And who’s that?” She had noticed them.

“I’m Mapleshade,” the ginger introduces herself. “And you’re Silverstream, I assume?” She looked particularly annoyed with Silverstream, though he couldn’t know how.

Silverstream quickly noticed her wound and how thin she was. “Oh! Here, I brought this rabbit here!” She turned back to Tigerstar, a soft smile on her face. “If you’re okay with that?”

“Of course,” he could never say no to her, anyway.

Silverstream fed Mapleshade and cleaned and treated Mapleshade’s wound.

Mapleshade seemed happier when they left.

Odd.

* * *

 

They began training apprentices, Breezepaw being one of the first they picked up.

The apprentice was eager to please, and learned quickly. He was… enough for now, until others showed up.

He waited.

He may, one day, find an apprentice worthy of his mentoring.

* * *

 

_His daughter had had kits._

_One was named after him._

He smirked.

* * *

 

Tigerkit would be an apprentice soon, he should plant some seeds.

* * *

 

“Hello, Tigerkit.”

_“Who are you?”_

“I’m your grandfather, little one.”

_“Really?”_

“Yes, really. Do you want to be a strong warrior, like your father?”

_“Of course!”_

“I can teach you, if you want me to, Tigerkit.”

_“Okay! I’ll do it!”_

* * *

 

And he did.

When he became an apprentice he also began training under Tigerstar.

He was strict, but Tigerkit became a better warrior for it.

* * *

 

Everyone was training someone now. Hawkfrost had Ivypaw, Brokenstar had Breezepaw, and he had Tigerpaw.

His plans would continue with ease.

Hopefully Silverstream would never get involved.

* * *

 

That wish would be broken, many, many moons later.

When Ivypaw had become Ivypool, Breezepaw Breezepelt, and Tigerpaw Tigerheart.

Tigerheart was a… weak name, but he would deal with that later.

As he trained with Tigerheart he saw a familiar pelt in his peripherals. He ignored it at first, thinking it an hallucination of his best friend, but it stayed there.

He turned to look, seeing Silverstream _in the Dark Forest._

Tigerheart jumped on him. It was understandable, since they were training but _Silverstream was in the Dark Forest and Ivypool was in hunting crouch in front of her._

He threw Tigerheart off him, a bit too violently but he was desperate to get there _fast._

_Ivypool was jumping with her claws out._

_Nononono—_

_Not Silverstream—_

He crashed into her mid-jump.

* * *

 

Ivypool cowered underneath Tigerstar. What had she done wrong?

She had only done what Brokenstar had said to do, kill the Starclan cat.

* * *

 

His claws dug into the tabby under him.

He couldn’t kill her. _Not yet anyway._

“Tigerstar? What’s going on?” Silverstream meowed from where she stood.

Tigerstar growled one last time at Ivypool before getting off her. “Someone made a mistake and tried to mess with you.”

He laid his head atop her own, trying to stop the shivers he could feel crawling up his spine.

_He could’ve lost her._

_He’d never get anyone to gush about his kits to._

_He’d never have a tiny body to cover with his own._

“Let’s get you back to Starclan, okay?”

* * *

 

The next day, Tigerstar tucked himself closer to her than usual and only left as it turned to night.

He was scared that the by next day she’d be gone.

_Anyone could kill her at any time._

_He had to protect her._

_He’d never let her go._

* * *

 

One day, Silverstream came with more wounds than her usual one.

Tigerstar _flipped._

“Who gave you those, Silverstream? I’ll kill them!” Tigerstar’s tail bushed out, making him look twice his size and quite intimidating.

Silverstream looked away from him, “Starclan has… split apart. They attack anyone not from their clans.” She paused, “I have to travel through Windclan to get here…”

Silence permeated the forest.

“... I…” Tigerstar started, but couldn’t find anything to say. He couldn’t ask her to stay with him in the Dark Forest! It wasn’t safe! “Please be more careful, next time.”

“I’ll try.”

* * *

 

The next time something similar happened was after Tigerstar had finally relaxed.

The two were laying at the border, Tigerstar’s body covering Silverstream’s from view.

Tigerstar was the first to hear the group coming.

It was the medicine cats and _all of Starclan._

“Silverstream!” He meowed loud enough to catch her attention. “There are cats coming, we need to go inside the forest.”

They hadn’t seen them yet. Good.

They got up quickly—Silverstream’s pelt stood out like snow in the forest—and _ran._

They ran until their legs ached.

They ran until they thought they were safe, and then a bit farther.

“You can’t go back, Silverstream!” He realized, he had taken away Silverstream’s only chance of seeing her daughter semi-regularly.

She stayed silent.

“Silverstream?” Why wasn’t she responding? “Are you—“

“I’m staying here, right?” Her eyes looked duller, “no one will try to kill me?

 _“No.”_ He growled out, _“never again.”_

She smiled morosely at him, “Good.”

* * *

 

“Everyone! This is Silverstream, she is _not_ to be harmed! _Understand?”_ It was an obvious threat, one all of them understood.

“Good.” He faced Tigerheart, “I won’t be training you tonight, Mapleshade will be.” He could see Tigerheart visually try to not complain.

He jumped from his perch to walk towards his friend.

“Nice speech, how many times did you rehearse it?” She smiled as the other cats all expected him to explode and hurt her.

“None, surprisingly,” he joked back.

* * *

 

He stayed with Silverstream all night, luckily no one— _like Ivypool_ —had dared to attack her again.

The two of them curled around one another for the night, happy.

* * *

 

But, they weren’t to be happy for long.

Tigerstar still had to lead an attack against the living cats.

An attack he’d never return from.

**Author's Note:**

> have i ever been sorry? no
> 
> am i sorry now? no


End file.
